Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Babita’

ABSTRACT

A  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Babita’ characterized by its small sized blooms with orange ray florets and prolific branching; natural season flower date September 8-13; blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

‘Babita’ is a product of a breeding and selection program for outdoorpot mums (garden mums) which had the objective of creating newChrysanthemum cultivars with a decorative type flower, a natural seasonflower date around September 8-13; blooming for a period of 5 weeks. Thenew plant of the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivarof Chrysanthemum plant ‘Babita’ is a seedling resulting from thecrossing of the female parent ‘22.0724’ with a mixed population ofChrysanthemum plants serving as male parents maintained under thecontrol of the inventor for breeding purposes. The new and distinctcultivar was discovered and selected as one flowering plant by MarkRoland Boeder on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout Holland in September2001. The plant has been asexually reproduced by cuttings in greenhousesat Rijsenhout Holland. The new cultivar has been found to retain itsdistinctive characteristics through successive propagations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention of a new and distinct variety of Chrysanthemum isshown in the accompanying drawings, the color being as nearly true aspossible with color photographs of this type.

FIG. 1 shows a plant of the cultivar in full bloom.

FIG. 2 shows the various stages of bloom and foliage of the newcultivar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This new variety of Chrysanthemum is of the botanical classificationChrysanthemum morifolium. The observations and measurements weregathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, Holland under naturalday length and temperature and planted in week 23 in 2002. The naturalblooming date of this crop was September 8-13 (week 37). The averageheight of the plants was 35 cm. No growth retardants were used. No testswere done on disease or insect resistance or susceptibility. No testswere done on cold or drought tolerance. This new variety produces smallsized blooms with orange ray florets blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivarin comparison to ‘Babita’ is ‘Zesty Barbara’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No.9,569). When ‘Zesty Barbara’ and ‘Babita’ are being compared thefollowing differences are noticed. The differences of ‘Zesty Barbara’and ‘Babita’ are (1) Ray-floret color. The ray-florets of ‘ZestyBarbara’ are purple colored, while those of ‘Babita’ are soft orangewith purple edges. (2) Color of center of immature flowers. The centerof ‘Zesty Barbara’ is soft green, while that of ‘Babita’ is orange.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics thatdistinguish ‘Babita’ as a new and distinct variety. The colordesignations are taken from the plant itself. Accordingly, anydiscrepancies between the color designations and the colors depicted inthe photographs are due to photographic tolerances. The color chart usedin this description is: The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart,edition 1995.

Table 1. Botanical Description of cultivar ‘Babita’

Bud:

Size.—Small; cross-section 0.8 cm, height 0.5 cm.

Outside color.—Yellow-green 145C.

Involucral bracts.—2 rows, length 7 mm, width 3 mm.

Involucral bracts among disc-florets.—Not present.

Involucral bracts color.—Yellow-green 148C.

Bloom:

Type.—Decorative.

Size.—Small.

Fully expanded.—4 cm.

Peduncle length.—7.5 cm.

Peduncle color.—Yellow-green 148C.

Number of blooms per branch.—Approx. 8 blooms per branch.

Performance on the plant.—5 weeks.

Seeds.—Produced in small quantities, ovate grey-brown 199A, 1½ mm inlength.

Fragrance.—Typical Chrysanthemum, slightly.

Color:

Center of the flower.—Immature Greyed-orange 172C. Mature Yellow-orange15B.

Color of upper surface of the ray-florets.—Yellow-orange 23D withGreyed-purple 186C at edges.

Color of the lower surface of the ray-florets.—Orange 24D.

Tonality from distance.—A garden mum with orange flowers and a center ofdarker shade.

Color of upper surface of ray-florets at aging of theplant.—Yellow-orange 23D and Greyed-purple 186C.

Ray florets:

Texture.—Upper and under side smooth.

Number.—150.

Cross-section.—Flat.

Longitudinal axis of majority.—Straight.

Length of corolla tube.—Short, 0.3 cm.

Ray-floret margin.—Entire.

Ray-floret length.—1.5 cm.

Ray-floret width.—0.4 cm.

Ratio length/width.—Medium.

Shape of tip.—Rounded.

Disc florets:

Disc diameter.—0.3 cm.

Distribution of disc florets.—Few, visible only in mature stage.

Shape.—Tubular.

Color.—Yellow-green 145C.

Receptacle shape.—Conical raised.

Reproductive organs:

Stamen.—Present in disc florets only.

Stamen color.—Yellow-green 144A.

Pollen.—Produced in small amount.

Pollen color.—Yellow 7A.

Styles.—Thick.

Style color.—Yellow 13A.

Style length.—4 mm.

Stigma color.—Yellow-green 144A.

Stigma width.—1 mm.

Ovaries.—Enclosed in calyx.

Plant:

Form.—A garden mum outdoor mounded and round.

Growth habit.—Spreading.

Growth rate.—High.

Height.—35 cm.

Width.—45 cm.

Stem color.—Yellow-green 146C.

Stem strength.—Strong.

Stem brittleness.—Not brittle.

Stem anthocyanin coloration.—Absent.

Internode length.—2.5 cm.

Length of lateral branch.—From top to bottom 15 cm.

Lateral branch color.—Yellow-green 147C.

Lateral branch, attachment.—Medium strength.

Branching (average number of lateral branches).—Good with 7 breaks afterpinching.

Natural season blooming date.—September 8-13.

Foliage:

Leaf color.—Upper side Yellow-green 147A. Under side Green 138B.

Color midvein.—Upper side Green 139D. Under side Green 138D.

Size.—Small; length 2.5 cm, width 2 cm.

Quantity (number per lateral branch).—25.

Shape.—Cordiform.

Texture upper side.—Glabrous.

Texture under side.—Pubescent.

Venation arrangement.—Palmate.

Shape of the margin.—Serrated.

Shape of base of sinus between lateral lobes.—Rounded.

Margin of sinus between lateral lobes.—Diverging.

Shape of base.—Obtuse.

Apex.—Rounded.

Petiole length.—0.2 cm.

Petiole color.—Green 139D.

TABLE 2 Differences with the comparison variety ‘Babita’ ‘Zesty Barbara’Color of ray-florets Yellow-orange 23D with Red-purple 58A Greyed purple186C Color of disc in immature Greyed-orange 172C Yellow-green flowers144C

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of Chrysanthemum plant asdescribed and illustrated.